Delirium Common Among Critically Ill Patients With Stroke

Delirium most common among those with intracerebral hemorrhage; more severe delirium tied to worse outcomes

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More than one in four critically ill patients with stroke experience delirium, according to a study published online July 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care.

Thomas N. Lawson, Ph.D., from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues conducted a prospective, observational cohort study to assess the prevalence, severity, and short-term outcomes of delirium in adults admitted to a neurocritical care unit with acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The analysis included 169 patients.

The researchers found that 44.4 percent of patients had ever had delirium. Prevalence of delirium was higher among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (59.6 percent) compared with those with acute ischemic stroke (37.6 percent) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (31.6 percent). The Mean Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-7 score for patients who had delirium was 5.64. Patients with delirium had more ventilator days (point estimate, 2.59), longer ICU and hospital lengths of stay (point estimates, 3.33 and 6.76, respectively), lower odds of discharge home (odds ratio, 0.42), and higher odds of a worse modified Rankin score of 3 or higher at discharge (odds ratio, 2.58). Overall, higher delirium severity was associated with worse outcomes.

“By focusing exclusively on patients who were critically ill after a stroke, our study provides important insight into the association between delirium and adverse outcomes among stroke patients, further underscoring the importance of delirium prevention and treatment,” Lawson said in a statement.